With regard to "Di-podo-mus" vs. "Dip-o-do-mees": In English, there is no rule saying that how we vocally form syllables must correspond to the semantics underlying the syllables. Thus, we can say ki-LOM-eter, even though semantically there aren't any LOMs.
Another point: Using Latin rules of pronunciation probably made sense once, but nowadays many new biological binomials are coming from Chinese, Japanese, and other languages to which Latin pronunciation doesn't really apply. I think the best we can do is just apply familiar English pronunciation rules where possible and hope for the best. Martin M. Meiss 2015-05-15 12:02 GMT-04:00 John Perrine <jperr...@calpoly.edu>: > What a great opportunity to be pedantic! :) > > While Don is completely right that modern pronunciation of scientific names > has moved away from the rules of classical Latin pronunciation, I just want > to make the point that these names actually mean something, and the > pronunciation should reflect this. > > For example, consider Dipodomys (the genus of Kangaroo Rats). The name > means "2 footed mouse" in reference to their large hind feet, and so it > should be pronounced "Di-podo-mus", not "Dip-o-do-mees". > > When teaching undergrads, I really emphasize the etymology of the > scientific > names. This leads to better understanding and better learning, with better > pronunciation too for good measure! > > Geek out! > > -John D. Perrine > Associate Professor / Curator of Birds and Mammals > Biological Sciences Department > California Polytechnic State University > San Luis Obispo, California USA > > > >
